Check out the Invstr Cybertruck!
At risk of outrageous hypocrisy, we’re about to break the marketing meta and turn you into Don Draper! With Black Friday ads coming thick and fast, brands are using Tesla’s Cybertruck to grab attention. Why?
Nowadays, it’s all about parasocial interaction (PSI)! “What’s that?” I hear you ask. Remember when Ajit Pai, the US Federal Communications Commission chairman, attempted to get “down with the kids” in promotional campaign for net neutrality with fidget spinners, nerf guns, and a ridiculous Santa Claus outfit? Yeah, it’s that. By jumping on “meme trains,” viral hashtags, and millennial lingo, brands want to appear as human as possible on social media to cultivate trust and achieve true “influencer-status!”
It works a charm, too, but if you’re late to the joke, without originality, or snake oily, rival brands could tease you for it in their own parasocially interactive tweets. Those are then pounced upon by more baby booming marketing departments at other brands, and a miserable cycle begins for the end-user. We’re not laughing with you, Verizon. We’re laughing at you!
Investors in Interpublic Group make their gains on the back of digital marketing services that help brands get their voices heard through PSI. Right now, Tesla’s Cybertruck is doing the rounds. Denny’s revealed its ‘Dynertruck’ “the same day as the Cybertruck… smh.” Pepsi mixed it up a bit with a demo of its own, and even we’ve joined the fun! But let’s admit that LEGO’s is by far the best. The holy grail in this kind of marketing is, of course, virality. When some stellar PSI blows up, stocks spike on lucrative later earnings reports.
With Black Friday kicking off the start of a clutch holiday season for retailers, festive ads are coming thick and fast. Companies that make the fastest start to 2020 on the stock market will be those with social media brand personalities that you’d actually like to meet in real life. You be the judge!
